


The Sea Prince

by Cherry_B



Series: Cressi Week 2k18 [1]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, cressiweek2k18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 16:30:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16162643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry_B/pseuds/Cherry_B
Summary: Come back to me with your vow or come back to us as seafoam.





	The Sea Prince

"Are you sure?"

Leo nods, he knows what it is that's been missing. He smiles at Cesc and clasps his hands between his, "I've never been more sure of anything."

Gerard frowns, glaring off to the side, his twitching tail betraying his nerves.

"I'll be okay," Leo murmurs, his reassurance falls on deaf ears. As he swims away he looks over his shoulder and sees both of his childhood friends watching him, despondent. He slows to really take them in, perhaps for the last time, but doesn't stop, he has made up his mind and this is something he must do. He looks forward and swims with renewed vigor.

*~*~*~*~*

The caverns are on the outskirts of Pep's territory. Leo approaches swiftly, he doesn't want to get caught. As he ducks between the stalagmites he searches for the entrance to where he knows the sea witch lives. It takes him a few minutes but eventually he spots the opening. It is a small, uneven semi circle opening near the bottom of the caverns, it will lead him to the depths where the sea witch resides. 

With one last look around for any soldiers making their rounds he rushes forward, streamlining for the opening. 

Once inside he finds that the tunnel space is a tight fit, even for a merman of his size. Having the smallest frame of his siblings he's experienced with squeezing into tight spaces so he pushes forward, displaying a level of agility and flexibility that surprises even him. The tight passage eventually blooms into a large underground open space.

It's dark and quiet but most importantly empty. 

Leo swims around but finds himself alone, a possibility he hadn't considered. He feels a flare of panic and considers his options. 

Just as he turns to leave someone calls out to him.

"You came all the way out here to see me. You didn't even bother to call out a greeting or take a proper look around. Whatever it is you came for must not have been that important."

Leo startles. He takes a look around but can see no one. The shadows at the edge of the cavern creep closer and Leo fights down an instinctive urge to leave. 

"Show yourself," he commands, letting his authority and royal background drip into his voice.

"Why would I do that?" The sea witch asks, their voice distorted and hard to pinpoint. Leo looks around from one side to the other, hoping to catch sight of the sea witch but it's just darkness and more darkness. He takes a deep breath.

"I have come to strike a deal," he says. The sea witch snorts.

"You have nothing that interests me, little sea prince. Run along now, back to your father and -"

"I'm not leaving till we strike that deal," Leo interrupts. 

There's a rush of bubbles behind him and Leo swirls around as they harmlessly float past him. From the shadows he spots a mertail swishing back and forth, clear agitation warning him to hold his tongue but Leo can't. He remembers warm hands and an urgent voice, dark curls that shone in the moonlight and he knows he's not where he belongs.

"Please, I'll give you anything," he begs.

"I already told you, you have nothing to offer me."

The mertail begins to retreat back into the shadows and Leo is desperate. "I'll lift your banishment!"

The sea witch freezes, literally stops moving, the tattered fins of her tail ripple in the water but the rest of her isn't moving. 

"You don't have the authority," the sea witch hisses.

"I have the power," he offers meekly and a heavy silence falls around them.

"That's treason," she tells Leo, voice devoid of any emotion. 

Leo drops his gaze, the sea witch was once a court favorite. An advisor to the previous king before the change in royal families forced her out for breaking their most sacred law, no contact with the land above.

Leo's father, King Triton had banished her upon her return. Had King Iker remained in power the most beautiful of all the merfolk would still swim among them or so the story went. All of it had happened years before Leo was born, all he knew were legends of the greatness of the previous king and whispers of the great power of his right hand, the sea witch. All traces of the sea witch had been cleared from the white halls of the palace so he worked with servant tales and what he could gleam from the tomes of their predecessor, King Iker.

Could there be forgiveness for breaking the most sacred of their creeds? He didn't know, what he was offering was practically a mockery. He'd remove his father's banishment spell but the merfolk might not accept her back. Worse still they might think she had used dark magic to remove the spell or, once they noticed Leo's disappearance they might suspect foul play. 

"What is it you want?" she asks, true curiosity tinging her words. 

Leo has a million words to say, of the million things he yearns for and can never have while under water. He could explain but the sea witch is a dangerous creature, stories of her quick temper never truly vanished and Leo has heard a guard or two discuss her penchant for violence if she was crossed. He has come prepared to barter, not lay himself bare.

He swallows his words of freedom and love and instead settles on a truth.

"To be human."

The sea witch says nothing. Still suspended in the water she suddenly laughs, something ugly and choked off that sounds beyond incredulous. 

"To be human? The son of King Triton? Really?" The sea witch vanishes into the shadows cackling.

"No, please! Come back!" Leo calls out, rushing into the dark waters of the caverns. He cannot see but the thundering of his hearts push him forward, a burning need coursing through his frigid limbs. He reaches out blindly and brushes the cold slick skin of the sea witch. 

He's shoved back by a firm hand with long thin fingers. Leo grabs the sea witch, pulling her closer. She pulls back and in the ensuing struggle they end up tumbling back into the clear area.

He grabs her hand tight so she can't escape again and looks up into the face of a very unexpected male. 

He has long brown hair and a long thin nose, his is face tan, much more than Leo's and he wonders if he's still going up to the surface. The worst has already happened, he has little else to lose.

"You're a man," he says, dumbfounded. 

The sea witch says nothing, pulls his hand out of Leo's grasp. The opal scales that curl around the back of his hands shimmer brighter than the dull scales that cover his gaunt cheeks. He backs away from Leo, gold tail undulating, glinting with missing scales and a torn fin. Banishment has not been kind to a man whose beauty Leo recognizes under all the wear.

"I am _Sergio_. What you ask is foolish. You will find no allies here, young prince, best that you make your way home before the King finds out where you are."

"Please," Leo begs. "Please, you have the magic necessary for this. Whatever you want, I'll do whatever is necessary."

Sergio watches him, eyes grim and mouth thin. In the light the hollows of his eyes and ribs stand out. He seems sick, Leo isn't sure he has the strength for such a spell but his need is greater than his concern for the stranger before him. 

"Why?"

He's taken aback by Sergio's question. Though he's finally revealed himself, though he looks mortal and is no longer a faceless tragic legend, Leo still isn't sure how much to trust him.

"Name your price," he says and Sergio scowls.

"Why?" he insists and Leo eyes the tunnel through which he entered the cavern. He isn't sure how much time he has but he knows he's most likely used a good portion of it already making his way here and Sergio must know it too. Why is he stalling?

"A soul," he grits out, mouth curled around the lie.

"All this for an immortal soul?"

"My fins and gills for a soul, it's the best deal I could make."

Sergio swims in a slow circle around him. Eyes practically slits, his brown hair floats around his face like a terrifying halo. He looks like a demon, a half dead merman with emaciated limbs and missing scales, skin that's practically see through at this point. He shines in a way that dries Leo's mouth, gold giving way to opal from the waist up. He's hauntingly beautiful, cursed between life and death. What a heavy price for pay for curiosity.

"No," he murmurs. "You long for more, little one." 

Leo's eyes grow wide and his hearts beat faster. 

"A human. You don't want to be one. You want to be with one." 

He nods to himself and a flash of pity crosses his eyes.

"The sun kisses their skin and leaves promises sprinkled across their cheeks and the bridge of their noses. They roam the land leaving destruction in their wake. They sing and dance, stealing your breath away with their human laughter. Such things, we aren't meant for them, Lionel. We merfolk belong in the sea. We are fools to play with such fire. If you chase this they will destroy you too."

Leo stares back him, _they already tried_ , he doesn't say. Can't say, won't say. How do you describe a beacon of hope, someone who shines so bright you can't let them go even hundreds of feet underwater. Leo has seen fire, it is different to what they have in the sea. It is warm and bright and he couldn't look away even as the humans poked at him with their fire sticks, making his skin dry and twinge with pain. 

Just like the fire he couldn't look away as one broke off from the group late into the night with just moonlight to guide him, cutting the ropes from Leo's body, freeing his tail and his hands. He set him free back into the ocean and even though Leo couldn't understand his words he understood his urgency, the way he looked over his shoulder at his drunken comrades snoring just a few feet away. 

Even now the pain from the fire doesn't compare with how the man's eyes scorched Leo's heart and his dark curls wove their way across Leo's mind enslaving him. Nothing compares with his name, Cristiano. Cristiano, the most beautiful name etched on the very ribs below his skin, sitting warm and ready to use on his tongue.

"Leo," he had tried to say back but above the water his name didn't sound as melodious. It was gurgled and strange. He tried again but Cristiano stared at him hopelessly, urging him to go with rapid hand gestures. Leo had tried to reach out but Cristiano had stood and made his way back to his pod of humans. 

To his shame, Leo didn't try again and had instead sunk into the depths of the sea. 

He looks at Sergio and with renewed conviction he states, "No matter the terms, whatever the consequences, I will be human."

He has spent to many days wishing it had been different, that he could have stayed, that he could have watched Cristiano just a while longer, that he could have at least told him his name. 

"What is the price?" he asks and Sergio, the sea witch smiles. Large flat teeth shine in the dimming light. 

"A promise," he says and swims away, beckoning Leo along with a crooked finger.

"What kind?" he asks and Sergio raises an eyebrow. 

"I thought you said whatever the cost?"

"I-I just-"

Sergio shakes his head and leads him to the top of the cavern, there's an opening there that peaks over the water and offers a view straight into the sky. 

"This won't be for more than three days, do what you must in that time period because I cannot give you more." 

"Wait," Leo exclaims, grabbing Sergio's thin arm. "I meant...well I was thinking, I want to be human permanently."

Sergio stares at him, eyes devoid of warmth. Leo feels his face cool, flushing an unflattering shade of blue. 

"The conditions can't be changed, I can only give you three days. From there it is up to you to make it last." 

Leo stares at him, flummoxed. "What does that mean, how does that work?" 

"Find them," Sergio says, "make them fall in love with you and have them make a vow."

"What kind of vow?" Leo asks, panicked as the water around them starts to swirl, odd colors flashing around his tail. "Sergio!" 

He reaches for Sergio but the sea witch backs away to calm waters and begins to sink below the surface, eyes watching him impassive. 

"Sergio!" Leo calls out again, fighting as the whirlpool tries to drag him down.

He sinks down and panics as he finds it suddenly hard to breathe, thrashing his arms around. 

"I forgot to mention," he hears Sergio's voice as if it were next time him and Leo reaches out but he isn't there. "This spell requires a tribute of sorts. I'll be taking it now."

His throat is ripped apart, something violently pulled from it without warning. His bones feel as if they're breaking, he can't breathe and his vision begins to blur. His chest aches and he cries out, choking on the water that rushes inside his mouth.

He tries to swim up but finds that his tail has torn in two and he can't control them as they flop to and fro uselessly. 

As his vision dims at the edges, grey overtaking everything Sergio appears before him. 

He looks younger, much younger than before. His skin is supple and flushed an odd pink. His hair seems to shimmer as does his voice, something softer and closer to human speech than siren. Leo fights to stay conscious. 

"If you succeed come find me. I will return what you have given. I will call to you, just listen for your song". 

Leo loses his fight, darkness completely overtaking his sight. The last thing he hears is Sergio sealing the spell, and crooning a word he doesn't recognize.

 

" _..vow..us as seafoam...._ "

**Author's Note:**

> A loose interpretation of the prompt Legends which by definition includes fairy tales. This was done on mobile so please let me know if you see any funky mistakes.


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